AUTHOR'S NOTE: Despite the title, I promise I won't invoke the cinematic spirit of Kurt Russell in this essay; Carl Gustav Young will have to do. I've just begun reading Benebell Wen's Holistic Tarot, and the introductory chapter brought me back to the topic of "first principles" in my practice of divination. Some of this … Continue reading Anticipatory Forecasting: “Escape from New Tarot”
General Tarot
The Problem with Tarot Books
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate well-written tarot books of all kinds. They keep me sharp and constantly thinking about the state of the diviner's art. But I'm a seasoned card-reader with five decades of tarot prediction under my belt, and I've sifted through reams of BS in the published literature since 1972 so I'm not likely … Continue reading The Problem with Tarot Books
A Tarot Take on “Strictures Against Judgement”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: What follows is an odd-ball idea that applies the poker-player's caveat about "knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em." There are times when it's clear that a reading is going nowhere, but we still feel obligated to make the most of it. If that realization occurs with the very first … Continue reading A Tarot Take on “Strictures Against Judgement”
365 Days and A New Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In March of 2024 I set myself the task of posting 365 consecutive daily essays on divination-related topics without repeating myself too often. Yesterday marked Day #365, and I believe I've succeeded for the most part. With that behind me, I decided to move to a different format: a weekly compendium of material … Continue reading 365 Days and A New Approach
“Oi Flings ‘Er!” – Yet Another Critique of Jumpers
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the Monty Python sketch Interesting People, in which Michael Palin as the master-of ceremonies interviews a stream of curious characters, Graham Chapman arrives carrying a live cat. Palin asks Chapman what the cat does that is interesting. Chapman replies "She flies across the stage and lands it that bucket" (conveniently placed at … Continue reading “Oi Flings ‘Er!” – Yet Another Critique of Jumpers
Reversals As “Erosion of Stability”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently interpreting the reversed 9 of Wands in a reading, noting that the card when upright is about preserving one's integrity, but that its reversal implies an "erosion of stability" in that regard. This started me thinking about another broad-brush approach to the application of reversal. I've often thought that a … Continue reading Reversals As “Erosion of Stability”
Accentuating the Negative? – Delivering Bad News
"You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positiveE-lim-i-nate the negativeLatch on to the affirmativeDon't mess with Mr. In-Between"(from Ac-Cen-Tchu-Ate the Positive by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters) AUTHOR'S NOTE: This isn't the first time I've addressed this question, but it keeps coming up on the tarot sites: Do you deliver negative readings in an unvarnished way … Continue reading Accentuating the Negative? – Delivering Bad News
500 Views . . . and Nothing to See: The Tarot Wasteland
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not long ago I joined a couple of online deck-collecting groups, and in short order my eyes were assaulted by swarms of substandard tarot decks that I would never buy in a million years (not nearly 500 of course, I was just trying to get your attention; let's round it off to 100). … Continue reading 500 Views . . . and Nothing to See: The Tarot Wasteland
“Claiming the Energy” – A Peculiar Premise
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just heard about TikTok tarot readings that are generic and algorithm-based. (I stay even farther away from TikTok than I do from YouTube.) One user of the service mentioned that they received prompts from TikTok urging "Interact four times to claim this energy." It sounds to me like the platform is "fishing … Continue reading “Claiming the Energy” – A Peculiar Premise
Elements and Modes in Tarot Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If there are any astrologers among my readers who were active during the era of New-Age metaphysical expansion, feel free to fact-check my historical observations. Having been there myself, this is how I remember it. Astrology uses a modal form of analysis: there are three quadriplicities (also known as modalities) - Cardinal, Fixed … Continue reading Elements and Modes in Tarot Reading
